Read the full article here at “Video Content Tips” by Second Screen Marketing.

1. Adopt a style

2. Identify the rationale

3. Craft a compelling message

4. Don’t let the audio suck

5. Use music

6. Use B-roll

7. Use creative metaphors

8. Grab their attention

9. Include a call to action

10. Change the shot

In addition, there is a great online educational resource, EdReach, that would be great to check out, and it has a new podcast show specifically for video, iDig Video. I had the pleasure of recording two episodes recently, about the positive learning experiences for students when they are allowed to create videos in the classroom. There are many lessons to be learned from media literacy, to the use of social media when publishing their videos, to perimeters and restrictions placed upon school districts as it relates to publishing names, pictures and student videos. I highly recommend you find the time to listen to these podcasts.

iDig Video #001: Using Video in the Classroom

iDig Video #006: Video Apps and Social Media Policies

I’d love to hear your comments below and feel free to contact me on Twitter @dgoble2001.

Shooting video may be as easy as using your existing DSLR

Now that your print publication has an online presence, it’s time to embrace your convergence and take full advantage of the new medium by adding video to your site.

Video will enhance your content, entice your audience, and better prepare your staff for future employment. Chances are, you’re already making sound slides, which are practically videos anyway.

Here’s a primer of what you’ll need to get started making videos and adding them to your website.

 1. Find videographers

Wrangle some of your staff photographers who are interested in adding new skills to their resume, buy them a pizza and brainstorm. Take a look at videos produced by professional news organizations, and determine what events or topics lend themselves to video coverage (usually events with lots of action or sound like sports, drama performances, construction projects, etc.)

 2. Video Cameras

You don’t need expensive gear–or even a new camera. If your photographers use still cameras purchased within the last several years, you probably already have a video camera. Check the manual for settings on how to shoot video. If you want to buy a new camera, look for those with external microphone inputs to record better sound.

An alternative is to use phones to shoot video. Most smart phones record–and even edit–video.

 How to use DSLRs to shoot video

3. Sound

It’s half the movie, so if you want your audience to hear the interview, or the natural sound of the location or event, you’ll want to invest in a good microphone. Most DSLR cameras have a mic input where you can plug in an external mic. Rode makes a good mic, and there are many other choices out there.

How to record sound on DSLRs

4. Editing

When your photographers return from an event, they could have 30 minutes of footage or more. You’ll need to edit that down to just a couple of minutes, which requires editing software. Editing software also allows you to add titles, graphics, music and transitions that make it look much nicer than your original raw footage.

There are a lot of choices out there depending on your budget, computer platform and needs. Check out this great article on choosing editing software

5. Add videos to your site

It’s easiest to host the video on another service like YouTube, Vimeo or SchoolTube and then paste the link into your website or blog. These all have free accounts, but some offer premium features for paid accounts. You might want to start out with the free account and upgrade once you really start cranking out videos. Free accounts have limits on the amount of content you can upload.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then video is worth a thousand words, thirty times per second. Bring your audience that much closer to the truth by incorporating video into your publication.

Have you already started using video on your website? Let us know how you did it and how it’s changed your publication.

Michael Hernandez is an Apple Distinguished Educator who teaches Video Production and Broadcast Journalism at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, CA. Follow him on Twitter: @cinehead

A story in the New York Times describes a teenager who created his own social media niche with his love for basketball, his desire to connect, and his instinctive work ethic.

It’s somewhat of a Cinderella story as well as a sign of how future career paths are unpredictable, because no one knows exactly what they will look like.  This certainly provides a glimpse.

College coaches follow the 17-year-old’s information.  He has 21,000 followers on Twitter, and his website, The RecruitScoop.com, has “officially become a partner with Rivals.com and Yahoo Sports,” according to a an article in the Sunday Sports Section.

Consider this lightweight but professional-level option for your newspaper staff and classroom tutorials.

The Kodak zi8 (which is now out of production but available on places like Amazon) is a step up from the flip camera, but doesn’t carry an additional expense.  What this compact video camera has that the flip doesn’t is 10 hours of recording over 1 hour on the flip, and a mic jack for capturing better audio.  Hook up a lavaliere mic and bring back useable audio.

With the gorillapod, stable video becomes possible with either something like the zi8, flip, or iPhone.   This type of tripod also provides more flexibility in positioning the camera.  For less than $10, an adapter called a glif will hold the iPhone in place for steady video.

I took an on-line course with Bill Horn from the New York Times Learning Network, and this is the solution the NYTimes came up with for journalists who needed equipment but didn’t want to lug around extra weight to accomodate today’s 24/7 reporting.

IDSnews.com

I was working on a presentation a couple weeks ago and asked a few people to help point me to some high school and university media that were doing things well in the social sphere. I got some great responses and will be sharing more of them in the coming weeks.

One was from Logan Aimone of NSPA who sent me a link to the Indiana Daily Student of Indiana University. They’ve got a great program at Indiana and are definitely doing some things right with social media. I specifically like three aspects of what they are doing.

1. Their social presence is not tough to locate
I’ve often found myself on a site trying to find out if they are on Twitter or Facebook. Sometimes things are clumped together, other times they are all spread out. IDSnews.com has a special page on their site dedicated to letting their readers know where to find them in the social sphere. The page found here identifies for readers the six Twitter accounts they maintain, the four Facebook pages and their Youtube page. It’s a nice one-stop-shop for readers.

2. They have multiple accounts to serve readers best
As noted above, they don’t just have one Twitter account, they have six. They don’t have one Facebook page, they have four. While every staff may not have the manpower to diversify themselves like this, all staffs should consider some segmentation. Readers often follow sites for very specific info, not all of it. Maybe someone just wants to know sports news and doesn’t really want to be bothered with photo galleries from prom. Maybe someone else just wants to be alerted of photo galleries and could care less how the basketball team did. If you have one catch-all feed that tries to speak to everyone, you may end up having few listen. If you take a lesson from what IDSnews.com (and many others are doing) and segment your content a bit on the social sphere, it might help you engage your audience better get a better return on  your time investment.

3. They acknowledge others on campus
I like how the staff not only showcases their own social accounts but they also highlight the Twitter account for Tom Crean, the men’s basketball coach, and the main account for Indiana University. I think it’s great that the staff is highlighting other notable campus accounts and it’s something that high school staffs should be doing as well with clubs, groups and sports from their own campus.

Having a social presence is a start, running it with an effective plan is the next step. I’ll be showcasing a few more schools in the coming weeks. In the meantime, feel free to comment below on what your staff is doing or give us a great social presence (high school, college or professional) that you’ve seen.

Aaron Manfull (@manfull) is the JEA Digital Media Committee Chair and director of student media at Francis Howell North High School in St. Charles, MO. 

Logan Aimone, Executive Director of the National Scholastic Press Association, shared this information on the JEA Listserv yesterday. It’s information for a CoverItLive chat to be held next week that looks like a great opportunity for advisers and students alike.

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JOIN NSPA FOR A SPECIAL EVENT NEXT TUESDAY, MAY 1:
NSPA will host a live chat on CoverItLive, “Inspiration from the Online Pacemakers,” from 6-7 p.m. CDT with Lauren Rabaino, online producer for The Seattle Times, and Logan Aimone, NSPA executive director. Rabaino worked on the staff of Pacemaker-winning websites in high school and college, so she’s in a perfect position to look at this year’s Pacemakers and showcase the highlights. She’ll share her unique perspective and give tips to improve any news website.

Please also invite your staff, especially Web editors, to participate. Or, participate as a group and project the screen for the whole staff to see.

Go to this link: http://nspa.coverpage.coveritlive.com

If you’ve never participated in a live chat, here’s your chance to experiment and learn something new!

Courtesy EdReach –  Top 10 Video Apps for your iPhone or other mobile device

It’s important to understand that our online audience not only “want” to watch videos as a part of their news gathering information, they EXPECT it.

Pew Research Center uncovered this fact last July 2011.

71% of Online Adults Now Use Video-Sharing Sites

It behooves us as educators to find ways for our students to incorporate student-generated video into their learning.

The plug-in seems worth considering for teachers who already teach photojournalism and Photoshop, and want to introduce web design either as an optional activity or a final project.  It might also be a tool for students who have proficiencies in Photoshop and might easily use their knowledge to launch into web design.

I’ll be clear — it’s not a program for me, because photography and Photoshop are not my strengths.

The developer’s website offers a free trial download and tons of tutorials.

It’s worth checking out if you think there’s any potential in learning website design using either your or your students’ Photoshop knowledge.

For me, it looks a little complex, but I can tell it’s a find for the Photoshop gurus.

http://www.theKirkwoodCall.com from Kirkwood, Missouri

One week ago in Seattle, the National Scholastic Press Association announced the winners in their 2012 Online Pacemaker contest. Fifteen schools were honored Pacemakers. You can check out the list of winners on the NSPA site.